Chaos Theory
by csiphile
Summary: Post Fall Out will Jack and Sam survive?
1. Default Chapter

Title: Chaos Theory 1/?  
  
Author: Stepf/CSIphile  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own them. And I don't think Id want to since Hank takes such good care of them.  
  
Summary: Post Fall Out, will Jack and Sam survive?  
  
AN1: Yes, there really is an Isle Royale in Lake Superior. Its beautiful in the summer. All the information about the island and Upper Peninsula of Michigan - where I never go cause its too cold for me - has been researched and is factual.  
  
AN2: Four HUGE thank you's on this project. First to Dev, for the first time in a LONG time I am able to blame her for a fic. She requested the fic, I obliged. Second to my fabulous beta, E, who supports my fic and give me such wonderful feedback and fixes my grammar, thank you so much- though I'm sure your sick of me saying that. ( Third- Maple Street, I couldn't imagine a better group of people, you're the best! The fourth thank you will be at the end.please be sure to read it.  
  
With that.on with the show..  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
This has to be some kind of cosmic joke, she thinks. Someone in the karma department is having a really good chuckle at her expense right now; and it's not funny at all. Carefully she slides into her seat and buckles her seat belt, looking over at her companion who does the same, all without looking at her.  
  
'This ought to be fun,' she thinks and stares out the small window. Maybe this won't be so bad; the first leg of the journey wasn't horrible. Then again, the first flight they took was on a 747 with a seat between them. Not cramped in a small 8 seat fucking crop duster of a plane going to Nowhere, Michigan. Ok, ok, not Nowhere, but close enough. Houghton County Memorial Airport in northern Michigan, practically as far north as you can go without hitting Canada.  
  
Pulling out the file, Sam reviews the information they have so far while she waits for takeoff. A 17- year-old high school senior had gone missing after heading out to meet friends 2 days ago. She never made it to the movie theater, and nobody has heard from her since she walked out the door. The only reason Sam is holding the folder is because the girl's father is the Mayor's best friend. The friend and his wife had moved to New York the previous August, leaving their daughter in the care of her friend's parents so she could finish up her senior year of high school and graduate with her friends instead of a bunch of strangers. Quickly Sam scans the file she has already read once. Good girl, nothing extraordinary, well-liked, good student, no boyfriend, nothing to indicate what happened; her car is still missing.  
  
Sam doesn't have much hope; they are going to an area that is mostly wooded and untouched by civilization. Unfortunately there are a lot of places to hide a body where it can never be found. Closing the file and opening another, she finds an information sheet that Martin put together about Houghton. A couple thousand people, more in the summer when vacationers head up, the kind of town where everyone knows everyone else. She isn't sure if that will help or not. The town is home to Michigan Technological University, well-known for its engineering programs. not bad for a town in the middle of nowhere. 'Average snowfall of 108 inches.wait! 108? That HAS to be a typo,' she thinks. Average temperature for March: 28 degrees, and that's the high. The lows are in the mid to low teens. Sam shudders slightly; it can get cold in Washington, but nothing like that.  
  
Jack must have felt her slight movements because turns to look at her and says, "You ok?"  
  
"Yeah, fine. Just happy I packed my heavy coat and thermals."  
  
He nods silently and goes back to reading the part of the file she had abandoned in favor of the fact sheet. Lovely, just lovely. Apparently they are reduced to head nodding and short sentences. Since the fallout from the Mashburn incident, things have been tense between them. She didn't expect him to come running into her arms, claiming that her near death had showed him how much she meant to him. That only happens in the movies and romance novels. But she had expected more than one visit total during her week at the hospital and three more weeks at home. Maybe it was too much to ask for things to be the way they used to be. There has been so much pressure on them. Everyone in the office seems to know what happened between them. Every action they took was scrutinized; people were looking for a hint they had fallen back into old habits. Fallen into each other. So they had over- compensated, speaking to each other only when work dictated, never being alone in his office with the blinds or door closed, never staying late alone unless they absolutely HAD to.  
  
It is killing her. Getting over Jack Malone is proving harder than she ever thought. Sam always thought she could get over a man in no time flat; she'd never had problems before. Men have always been expendable in her life, and she had never gotten emotionally invested enough for them to matter. Except for Jack. No one else got under her skin like him, no one else made her feel the way he did. Sighing slightly, she is relieved when movement of the plane breaks her out of thought. Looking at her watch, she figures they should be there by noon, 12:30 at the latest based on two and a half hours flight time. She didn't know if these smaller planes could get a good tailwind or not, but she sure as hell hopes so. She's pretty sure any longer than two and a half hours trapped in a contained area with him and she'll be ready to jump out. Somehow their relationship has regressed to the point of nothingness. She has more in common with the guy sitting across the aisle from Jack than the man sitting next to her. Well.except she hasn't slept with the guy sitting across the aisle.  
  
Finally they taxi to the end of the runway and she feels the acceleration and the plane finally lifts as they take off into grey clouds. Idly, she wonders if the sun ever comes out here in the winter. Settling in, she closes her eyes and leans against the window falling into a light sleep.  
  
She can feel his hands on her, his fingers just brushing her skin, sending a tingling sensation through her. She moans into his neck, feeling her hot breath deflecting off his sweat covered skin. She runs her hands through his short hair- marveling at the softness. Running them down his face, skimming his lips with them before replacing her fingers with her lips and tongue. She can feel the sheets on her back, becoming damp with her sweat and she quickly shrugs them off her. She can hear him moan as she licks and nips her way down his neck, and chest. Hear him call her name.  
  
"Saaaaaam."  
  
"Sam.."  
  
"Samantha!"  
  
Suddenly the dream is replaced with reality as she starts awake and finds her boss staring at her intently.  
  
"Yeah?" she responds hesitantly.  
  
"We are almost there, I thought you might want to watch our decent. According to the captain its beautiful this time of year."  
  
It was the most he had managed to string together the entire trip.  
  
"Oh, thank you."  
  
She had turned to the window but his voice drew her attention back to the cabin.  
  
"Sam." He pauses and she can see him contemplating something. ".nevermind."  
  
So that's how its going to be. She turns her head back to the window. The captain had been right, it's beautiful up here. Snow covered almost every square inch of land, and most of the inland lakes were covered with thick ice. As far as she can see is pristine white snow -- not the kind of snow in New York; this is the kind of snow only found in undisturbed nature. It's almost blinding, the sun reflecting off the snow as effectively as if it was a tinted car window. The tops of the trees are drooping slightly from the weight of snow and ice, the latter forming icicles the size of a small child. It's incredible; it's "Jingle Bells" brought to life. She can see the sleigh dashing through the snow, driven by horses, leaving only a trail of sleigh tracks and hoof prints behind.  
  
Suddenly the plane rolls slightly to the left, affording her a view of a small island she hadn't seen before and just on the horizon is Canada. Stranded in the middle of what she is sure is Lake Superior, the island looks wholly uninhabited. Confused as to her exact location she decides to ask Jack.  
  
"Is that part of Canada?" she asks and points out the window.  
  
Jack furrows his brow slightly and looks a moment. "I don't think so.not sure."  
  
The man across the aisle speaks up and answers her question. "No, that's Isle Royale, it's a national park. Mostly it's used for camping and wildlife studies."  
  
Sam looks surprised. "People live there?"  
  
The gentleman laughs at her lightly. "No, not right now, too cold. The island is only open to visitors from late April through October. The winters are pretty hard up here and with no electricity, it's unlivable. But in the summer it's beautiful, like civilization doesn't even exist. If you want to get away somewhere with just your thoughts for a while, that's the place to go. No phones, no faxes, no cell phones."  
  
She contemplates this for a moment. Sounds like a good place to hide. "Sounds lovely."  
  
He nods and she goes back to looking out the window, staring at the small piece of land. The captain's voice over the intercom startles her out of thoughts of hiding there for a few weeks, with nothing but her and her thoughts.  
  
"Ok, ladies and gentlemen, we are being rerouted to a northern approach due to some heavy traffic at Houghton County. We should be landing in about 10 minutes."  
  
Stifling a small laugh Sam, leans into Jack and whispers, "Heavy traffic up here? What is that like three planes?"  
  
Finally that garners a genuine smile from the older man and he whispers back, the feel of his warm breath on her ear sending shivers through her. "Four maybe.or a jumbo jet."  
  
As he stopped talking, it felt like Sam's stomach was coming up through her chest, the plane had violently dropped several hundred feet without warning. Almost of its own accord, Sam's hand reached out and gripped Jack's forearm. When he didn't look at her funny, she left it there for several minutes until the plane seemed to settle into its new altitude.  
  
Just as she removed her hand, however, the plane again dropped suddenly, the cabin making a horrible rattling noise accompanied by an incredibly loud whining noise from the engines. Anxiety rips through her body; she's had bad flights before where this has happened, but something about this doesn't feel right to her. She shares this with Jack, hoping that telling another person will relieve her quickly heightening anxiety.  
  
"Something isn't right," she says.  
  
"Sam, you've had plenty of bad flights."  
  
"No, Jack, there is something different here. I can feel it." She can see the expression on his face change. The calmness of her words seem to convince him that something is indeed not right.  
  
"I'm sure it's just turbulence." He gives her a small smile and lightly holds her hand in his.  
  
She nods slowly, but doesn't quite believe him. Again they seem to drop violently, and this time the captain comes on the intercom again.  
  
"OK folks, we seem to be having some serious turbulence issues here, please make sure you are all buckled in for landing...shit!"  
  
Jack and Sam look at each other. It's officially gone from the nuisance of turbulence to something entirely different, and not good. Once more, the plane drops; this time the cabin is violently shaken, the overhead bins opening and spilling the contents into the aisle. Sam can feel Jack leaning over her protectively, shielding her from the falling debris. She can feel the violent shaking of the plane through her whole body and can hear her heart pumping furiously in her ears.  
  
"Ok everyone, I'm going to need you to assume crash positions just in case. We're fighting altitude right now, and Houghton has cleared us, we just need to swing around."  
  
Nervously, Sam stares at Jack who has an equally panic-stricken expression on his face. Giving him a wan smile, she tucks her head in between her knees, Sam has heard the pre-flight instructions endless times and every one of those times she has thought 'oh I'll never use this information,' until now. Now every word is running through her head at breakneck speed.  
  
The whining noise coming from the engines has now increased to epic proportions; she can see Jack's lips moving, talking to her, but she can't hear the words he is saying. It's starting to feel like a dream being played out in slow motion.  
  
The plane banks hard to the right, and then the whole world drops out from under her as she can feel it start to accelerate hard in the wrong direction.down towards nothingness. Again the cabin starts shaking. The engines seem to be struggling to keep up with the requests from the cockpit and in the midst of it, she feels Jack take her hand in his and place them both on his knee.  
  
Without realizing it, tears spring into Sam's eyes; she knows this is the end. She's faced death before, but nothing quiet as unequivocal as a plane crash. Plane goes down, you're pretty much dead. Not much room for error- or survival for that matter. Looking over at Jack, she finds him staring at her, and without words they express everything that needs to be said between them. "I'm sorry", "I wish it had been different", "I wish I hadn't acted like an ass the last few weeks". He doesn't try to reassure her that it will all be ok, because she's sure he doesn't believe that. If nothing else, Jack Malone wouldn't lie to her just to make her feel better. Though honestly, at that second, she almost wishes he would lie to her.  
  
Finally she turns away and places her head on her knees, waiting for the inevitable. The destruction of two lives; two lives that are destined to be connected forever, their names always said in a whisper together, the ones who lived for each other, and died together.  
  
For what seems like an eternity, the plane continues its downward trend and Sam starts to think she is imagining the whole thing. Until metal meets nature and her screams are drowned out by the shearing sounds of the plane disintegrating on contact with frozen earth. The last thing Samantha Spade is aware of is Jack calling her name and bitter coldness enveloping her.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
tbc.........(don't forget those reviews, gets you chapters faster)  
  
AN Cont: Thank you four.to the wonderful Evidence, who allowed me to steal her idea in a way. While no one has the corner on plane crashes, I didn't want her to think I was trying to copy her. Thank you.and be sure to read her's also! 


	2. The red and the black

Title: Chaos Theory 2/?  
  
Author: Stepf  
  
Diclaimers ect, on the first chapter.  
  
Thanks: To everyone who reviewed the first chapter, just wow! I think that's the most reviews I've received for a WaT fic, especially chapter one of a WIP. I was going to hold off on this one, but since ya'll were so nice, here you go. Now it might be a while for chapter 3, I'm still writing it, but Ill get it up ASAP! Thank you again!  
  
And on with the fun...who survived? Who didn't? Do you wish Catherine was on the plane too and was an unfortunate victim? Maybe next time for that plot bunny.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Howling wind. Bitter cold. Warm sunshine. Dampness. Pain. A lot of pain. Plane. Houghton. Since when do landings.no wait.crash. The thoughts fly through her mind as she becomes aware of her surroundings. Before moving, Sam takes inventory of the pain: nothing major except her head is pounding to beat the band. Blinking several times, she takes in the carnage around her. The plane has been decimated -- oxygen bags and electrical wiring and plastic pieces are hanging from various points in the ceiling. Turning, she sees Jack still next to her, eyes closed, blood freely flowing from a deep cut on his arm, his head resting lightly on his chest.  
  
Lifting her arm and swallowing the pain that accompanies the action, she checks his pulse. Strong and steady, thank god. Quickly she looks him over and sees no other outward injuries, but he could be bleeding internally and she would have no idea. Looking around more fully now, Sam takes in a deep breath at the sight behind her. The back end of the plane is gone, just...gone. There are a mere two rows behind her, after that the remainder of the plane is scattered into the wilderness. She can see the path the plane took in the snow behind her. Scattered randomly in the trail is pieces of plane. A seat here, a bit of cabin there, a piece of the tail standing vertical out of the snow giving the illusion that the whole plane went head first into the ground, never to be seen again. She shudder slightly and turns back; she needs to look for other survivors.  
  
Unbuckling her lap belt, Sam stands slowly, relieved when she doesn't get dizzy or disoriented. Carefully she steps around Jack, a task made easier by the fact that the row of seats in front of them are now upside down in back of the first row of seats.  
  
She groans audibly as her sore body is forced to move. she'd much rather be still sleeping but that's not an option right now. They are in the middle of nowhere, and she doesn't even know where nowhere is. Standing in the remains of the aisle, she realizes that the man sitting across from Jack is nowhere to be seen. Shivering slightly, she searches that side of the plane, swiftly finding him. Dead. His seat had become dislodged in the crash, bouncing him around the cabin, finally coming to rest upside down in the row behind him. Reaching out a cold hand, she checks for a pulse despite the fact that she can tell just by looking at him he didn't make it.  
  
"Dammit," she says and turns around. There had only been five people on the plane, the dead man-she never did know his name, herself, Jack and the two pilots.  
  
Moving again, slowly she heads to the cockpit. Every part of her body seems to ache somehow, and now she is aware of a line of blood running down her forehead; she can feel it make its way down the side of her face. Reaching up, she wipes at it, her hand coming away covered in red liquid. Sighing audibly, Sam follows the trail of blood to an open gash at her hairline. Pulling her hand away, Sam figures its best not to touch it and risk infection.  
  
She snorts at her own thought. "Like infection is the worst of my problems."  
  
Walking to the cockpit, she pauses again at Jack, still in the same position as before, and breathing. Good sign. Walking to the cockpit door, Sam shivers, though this time she's not sure if it's from the cold, or the possibility that she and Jack are the only survivors on this flight.  
  
Turning the door handle, she pushes slowly, hearing debris sliding with the movement of the door. Pushing a little harder, she gets it open enough to step in, but just barely. Before the crash the cockpit was just big enough to fit the pilot and co-pilot and another person. Now there is just enough room for her to squeeze in and survey the damage. From her non-professional perspective, it seems that the cockpit took the brunt of the force, the tail end not withstanding. The front end has similarly been shorn off the plane, metal and wiring littering the snow in front of them. The windshield is in one piece..about 100 yards in front of the plane. The lack of window makes the cockpit icy cold, moreso then the exposed cabin.  
  
Looking down, she inspects the occupants. The co-pilot seems to be dead, a piece of metal sticking out from his abdomen. The pilot, however, appears to be unharmed. Leaning over, she touches his neck; it's warm. Not so easily, she finds a pulse, slow and erratic, but it's something. Pulling her hand back, she is startled when a hand reaches up and grabs hers.  
  
The pilot had regained consciousness and is staring at her, the expression on his face looking like death itself. Pale face, eyes ringed with black bruising, blood marring his face.  
  
"Shhhh," she says to him quietly. "It's going to be ok. Just relax. We need to get help."  
  
He slowly shakes his head.  
  
"Listen, we need to notify someone. Where's the radio?"  
  
A grimace of pain flashes across his face and he indicates a spot on the decimated instrument panel. The radio is no use to them; the insides are now exposed, wiring hanging from every angle. Samantha curses lightly and is interrupted by an unsteady voice.  
  
"Radioed.location."  
  
"Ok, good. Just hang in there. I'll get you out of here, okay?"  
  
Again the pilot shakes his head, and indicates for her to lean into him.  
  
"Medical kit in the closet.bl.blankets too.and a map," he gets out before having to stop to catch his breath. Samantha is horrified, the man is accepting his fate, and trying to ensure her survival. "Try.try to get to a ranger station.use the.map."  
  
"Look, you'll be coming with us, ok? You can show us the way."  
  
He essentially ignores her. She can see he is worsening; his breathing is labored and whatever color was in his face is now gone. "Stick to the trails.marked. Better off.."  
  
"Hang.."  
  
As forcefully as he can, he cuts her off. "Promise me.trails."  
  
She looks into his eyes and finally faces the truth: he isn't going to make it. He's probably bleeding internally by now. "I promise."  
  
Finally he nods at her and closes his eyes, giving in. After a few minutes Sam checks his pulse; it's gone. He died in front of her and she could do nothing to stop it. Frustrated, she stands up and lets out a scream. All it does is echo interminably into the wilderness, with no one there to hear her except the animals.  
  
tbc....... 


	3. Darkness Falls

Title: Chaos Theory Chapter 3  
  
Author: Stepf  
  
Summary: Downed in the wilderness, will Jack and Sam survive?  
  
Thanks: Again, this is one of my biggest reviewed WaT fics ever, and thank you to everyone who has taken the time, I so appreciate it to the bottom of my heart. My beta, E, I cant thank you enough..  
  
AN1: Again, everything about the island is factual and researched. Basically what you are learning here is you don't want to go there in the dead of winter. Also, the shipwrecks discusses herein are real and also researched. Look at me getting all crazy.  
  
On with the show  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 3: Darkness Falls  
  
To avoid injuring herself on the jagged metal sticking out of every conceivable place, Sam carefully opens the closet the pilot mentioned. She easily finds the medical kit and several blankets, but has to search some before finding the map that had come loose in the crash.  
  
Now increasing her speed, mostly to keep warm, Sam finds Jack's carry on bag. Looking through it, she quickly pitches half the contents inside to make room for everything they need. One change of clothes apiece-they both kept one in their carry ons just in case, several blankets and the survival kit she had also found in the closet. Luckily they had both decided to dress casually and warmly on the plane, since it was a long flight in closed quarters, figuring they could change when they landed. Never before had an idea been so fortunate. She places the map in an outside pocket and leaves room for the medical kit.  
  
Moving on to Jack, she attempts to rouse him, not sure what she will do if she can't wake him. She ignores the dizzy feeling starting to overtake her, and touches his head lightly, rolling it back to rest on the headrest. Deciding to take some advantage of the situation, she pulls back Jack's shirt and quickly wraps up the wound, using all that she was taught in field med training. Once that task is completed, she places the med kit into the bag and returns to attempting to wake Jack.  
  
"Jack.Come on, baby, wake up for me." She sighs, his lack of consciousness concerns her. She reaches out and touches his face lightly. "Jack.JACK!"  
  
Finally she gets a response, a low moan, but it's better than nothing. "Come on.I know it hurts, Jack, but you gotta work with me here. I can't carry you."  
  
A soft voice responds, "Why not?"  
  
"The academy doesn't go over how to carry your unconscious boss through the snow in the middle of winter. I'll write a letter and complain later. How you feeling?"  
  
"Like shit. What the hell happened?"  
  
"Plane crashed. Both the pilots and the other passenger are dead. It's just you and me."  
  
He harrumphs at this and slowly starts to move his extremities; she can see pain cover his face as he moves his wounded arm. Removing his seat belt, he slowly starts to stand, gripping her shoulder as support. Finally finding some sort of balance, he takes in the carnage around them and lets out a low whistle. While standing, she helps him into the heavier winter coat that he had removed for the flight, which thankfully hadn't disappeared in the crash. She had been wearing hers on the plane due to a slight chill in the air.  
  
"We should be dead."  
  
"Yeah, we should," she says quietly.  
  
"Are you ok?" he asks as his eyes roam her body looking for injuries, only finding the gash at her hairline. Reaching out, he lightly touches the skin around the wound, allowing his hand to slide down her face to her jaw line before pulling away.  
  
"Yeah, I'm ok. Are you dizzy?"  
  
"Yeah, little bit, but it's passing."  
  
She nods and helps him move to the back of the plane so he can assess the outside. Looking around, he speaks. "Where the hell are we?"  
  
"Isle Royale National Park. Welcome to the least inhabited island in the country."  
  
"Great.wait. How did you know that?"  
  
Showing him the map, she gives him a wan grin. "The pilot told me before he died. Gave me some instructions on staying alive out here."  
  
"Lemme guess, don't get eaten by a grizzly bear," he deadpans.  
  
"Not funny. We are supposed to stay on the trails and find a ranger station. I have a map." With a flourish, she pulls the map out of the bag at her feet. "The only problem is a map is no good if you don't know where you ARE on the damn thing."  
  
"Yeah.Any idea what time it is?"  
  
"Three thirty.my watch still works."  
  
"That New York or Michigan time?"  
  
"It's the same time zone, Jack."  
  
"Oh, right. Well that means not much time until the sun goes down. We need to either make camp here or start looking for that trail."  
  
Both of them look out into the large expanse of wilderness in front of them. Jack finally speaks. "I think first light might be best; plus we have shelter here. But staying past tomorrow might not be a good idea. Those bodies are going to start attracting predators."  
  
She shivers slightly at the morbid thought, though it is the reality of the situation.  
  
"Ok, you sit back down. I'll go looking for something to start a fire."  
  
He nods and sits in the last row of seats and watches as she wanders out into the woods, looking for tinder.  
  
"Don't go too far," he hollers after her.  
  
She merely waves to acknowledge his words and goes back to hunting. Sam honestly isn't sure how the hell to get them out of this. Sure, they were all trained in survival, but nothing had quite prepared her for this. They had almost no food or water, though the vast amounts of snow would help on that end; plus they aren't exactly dressed appropriately and have no clue where they are on an island with no inhabitants. She could only hope that the pilot HAD managed to get that SOS out before they crashed and someone was looking for them.  
  
Washington DC Same day, Four PM  
  
"Uh huh..no, thank you for calling. I'll inform everyone. Yeah.please do." Vivian closes her phone and takes a deep breath. This really isn't good. When the Houghton sheriff had called her, she wasn't sure what was going on; now she needs to inform the team that Jack and Sam are missing and presumed down in a plane crash. Quickly, she calls Danny and Martin into Jack's office; both the men sit in front of Jack's desk.  
  
"We have a problem. During their landing into Houghton, Jack and Samantha's plane experienced what the local authorities believe is a massive power loss and went down somewhere over Lake Superior." Her voice is serious, but tinged with sadness; someone needs to keep it together, and that person is her.  
  
"Are they.oh god." Danny starts the sentence but can't seem to finish it.  
  
"They don't know. I'm in contact with the local sheriff and the NTSB is on the way. The last radioed location before contact was lost was directly over Superior, well north of the airport."  
  
"Oh god." Martin parrots his colleague. "If they went down in that water.it's too cold to survive long."  
  
"We don't know WHAT happened yet. This is all preliminary. I just wanted to let you guys know."  
  
Both men nod somberly, each lost in their own thoughts before Martin speaks up. "I want to head out there."  
  
"Me too," Danny adds.  
  
"There isn't anything we can do. And I'm not sure Van Doren will go for it." She pauses and looks at her colleagues' pleading faces. "I'll look into it. Until then, we have a case to work, ok?"  
  
"Yeah," They reply in unison but remain seated, wonder where their friends are, and if they are alive.  
  
Unknown Location Isle Royale, Michigan  
  
They are huddled next to the fire Sam had started as close to the plane as she dared. It was enough though; with the warmth from the flames and the protection of the plane, it wasn't bitterly cold, though she would have preferred a bed.  
  
"Nice job with the fire. Where did you learn that?"  
  
"Girl Scouts."  
  
He looks over at her over the blanket wrapped around his shoulders. They are sitting side-by-side on two plane seats that are on the ground now, allowing them to be closer to the fire but not sit directly on what remained of the cold sheet metal of the fuselage. "You were a Girl Scout?"  
  
"For a little bit, not long. Enough to learn how to make a fire, so I suppose it was enough."  
  
He nods and watches her shiver slightly. "You warm enough?"  
  
"Warm as I'm gonna get, but I'll survive. I can't even guess to the temperature out here, but it's colder than I've ever felt." Again she shivers deeply; she can feel it through her whole body. Carefully she slides closer to the fire, being careful not to move outside its protection from the wind.  
  
"Sam, come here." He indicates for her to move towards him.  
  
"Jack."  
  
"Jesus, Sam, just get your ass over here. I'm not proposing marriage -- you look cold."  
  
She smirks and slides out of her seat, moving to sit between his legs, with her back pressed against his chest. She readjusts her blanket so it covers her front now, their body heat sufficient to warm her back. Once she is done getting comfortable, she feels Jack wrap his long arms around her, rubbing her arms lightly. Several moments of silence pass as they each enjoy the feeling of each other.  
  
"You think someone will look for us?" she asks in a small voice, leaning her head against his chest.  
  
"I don't know, Sam. I'd think so, but they have no idea what happened to us."  
  
"I wonder if Danny and Martin and Viv know yet."  
  
"Probably. Viv was my contact, so I'm sure they know. But, Sam, for all they know we are down with the Edmund Fitzgerald."  
  
"The what?"  
  
"The Edmund Fitzgerald. Come on, Sam, you don't remember that song?" He pauses a moment before singing. "The legend lives on from the chippewa on down of the big lake they called Gitchigumi. The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead when the skies of November turn gloomy  
  
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty. That good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed when the 'gales of November' came early."  
  
"Can't say I can recall that one."  
  
"Hmmm, probably before your time."  
  
"Anyway.the Edmund Fitzgerald?" Talking, even about something so inane as a ship kept Sam's mind off the cold. Plus, the feel of his warm breath on her neck certainly helped ward away the chill.  
  
"It was a freighter, carrying iron ore from Wisconsin to Detroit when it encountered one of the worst storms ever recorded on Lake Superior. November 10, 1975 it went down with 29 people aboard; they were all lost to the lake."  
  
"That's awful."  
  
"Yeah. They found the wreck, but it's sat there for 28 years, untouched."  
  
Suddenly something occurs to her. "How do you know about that?"  
  
"I've always been interested in ship wrecks. There's something so haunting about them. Trapped under all that water, preserved for time, a marker of a horrible tragedy."  
  
"I never knew."  
  
"About the Fitz? Most people haven't unless you're from the area."  
  
"No, that you even had an interest."  
  
"Well it's been a while since I've had time to read up."  
  
She considers that for a minute. "Tell me more...about other wrecks."  
  
"Ok, there's always the one off the coast of North Carolina. Six hundred souls lost.."  
  
She interrupts him with a tired voice. "Why do they say 'souls lost'?"  
  
"I don't know, Sam. Anyway, it was the SS Central America, went down in a hurricane in 1857, I believe. Six hundred people and an estimated one billion dollars in gold.."  
  
As he spoke, Jack's soothing voice sinks her deeper and deeper into sleep until she finally gives in and closes her eyes, hoping that when she woke up, she would find herself at home, safe.  
  
tbc... 


	4. Detour

Title: Chaos Theory, Chapter 4  
  
Author: Stepf  
  
Disclaimers and the like can be found on the first chapter.  
  
Thanks to everyone at Maple Street, you guys ARE the BEST. So many review for so few chapters, you guys rock, it really inspires me to try and write faster. Of course to my Beta, M, she rocks my world and Dev, who asked, I provided.  
  
AN: Again, everything is factual here, except I'm really not sure the proper NTSB procedure for small plane crashes, just pretend there. I just hope the FBI doesn't come knocking on my door wondering why I was searching how black boxes work. And you know, they really don't work like I thought.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 4: Detour  
  
A loud howling noise rips her from the confines of sleep and she sits straight up, pulling herself out of Jack's warm embrace. She's certainly heard animal noises before in New York, but this is something she's never heard before. It's a deep growl-like howl of an animal on the hunt.  
  
Her movements awaken the man behind her, and she stands up slowly, allowing him space to stretch. She then takes in the scenery around them in the light of dawn. Not much to see..trees and then more trees, with a plane in the middle of it all. Taking a few steps out, she investigates their position; they seem to be in some kind of clearing, surrounded by pine trees and other assorted local flora. She doesn't see anything resembling a trail marker near them. Sighing, she returns to the plane to find Jack folding the blankets back up into the bag.  
  
"How are you feeling?" she asks, touching his upper arm. He didn't look as pale as the day before.  
  
"Better.what time is it?" he asks, and moves out into the open with her.  
  
"Seven AM."  
  
"Good -- plenty of time before dark. Any idea where we are?" he asks and moves closer to her, peering over her shoulder at the map open in her hand.  
  
"Well..no. There are several rangers' stations, but only two have emergency services: Windigo and Rock Harbor on the west and east sides, respectively." She points at a spot on the map. "Rock Harbor has a boat service too. But since I'm not sure where we are, I don't know which direction we should be heading."  
  
Sighing, he looks around them. "Well, that's east, obviously." He points to the sun. "Since we don't know which side is closer, let's head south until we hit one of these trails that run the outside of the island. Hopefully that will give us a better idea."  
  
She nods and pulls out the compass that was in the survival pack she had been fortunate enough to find. It contains the compass, another map, flares, and waterproof matches in the leather bound case. She points and they look one last time at the plane before heading out.  
  
They haven't gotten 100 yards from the plane when Sam takes in a deep breath and starts coughing violently as the ice cold air hits her lungs, causing a slight spasm. Jack immediately stops and rushes back to her, placing one hand on her back lightly.  
  
"You ok?"  
  
"Yeah...Lesson one. Don't breath deeply -- it hurts." She smiles slightly at the end of the statement so he knows she is fine.  
  
"Noted."  
  
He gently grabs her arm and they start slogging through the snow. Sam takes the time to observe the environment around her as they walk. The snow, while abundant, is luckily mostly packed down and not too difficult to walk on. She can see what looks like a large ridge- maybe a small mountain- somewhere to their slight right. Other than that, it's mostly snow and trees and then more of the same. She can see how easily it would be to get lost out here; there's not much to keep you from walking in circles.  
  
"It's beautiful out here," she finally comments.  
  
"Yes, but dangerous. Don't forget that."  
  
" I won't. I'm not a child, Jack." Instantly, she regrets her harsh tone.  
  
He seems to ignore it though. "I know. I just don't want anything to happen. We shouldn't split up, no matter what. Ok?"  
  
"Agreed."  
  
Again Sam ventures another glance at the mountain to her right. Pursing her lips, she stops and pulls the map out of the bag, unfolding it quickly. She is so engrossed in her reading that she doesn't realize that Jack hasn't stopped walking until she hears him let out a loud grunt followed by a whiffing sound.  
  
Snapping her head up, she looks around alarmed when she realizes Jack is no longer in her sight. "Shit"  
  
Quickly, but cautiously, she follows Jack's footsteps and finds him starting to sit up in the snow. "You ok?"  
  
"Yeah, I tripped over something."  
  
Turning her head, she sees an orange box sticking out from the snow. Approaching carefully, she looks at the object, instantly recognizing it. "It's the black box!"  
  
"Seriously?" He stands and brushes snow off him.  
  
"Has to be. Right color, right size.damn, how the hell did it get all the way over here? We've been walking for two hours. That's.close to 5 miles. I wonder if it's transmitting," she says with a hopeful expression.  
  
He easily reads her expression. "No, probably not. Sam, we need to assume we are on our own here and find a way out. We'll starve to death if we try and wait, or the animals will get to us."  
  
"Yeah, I know." Quietly, she abandons the bright orange box and stands back up, following him again to the south.  
  
Houghton County Memorial Airport 10 am  
  
"Anything from the black box?"  
  
"Nothing, sir."  
  
"Keep looking."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Captain John Spade turns around and runs a hand through his graying hair. This isn't going to be easy. He had been dispatched by NTSB HQ the night before from Selfridge National Guard base to Houghton County in search of a small plane presumed down. He had quickly taken control of the small airport -- the NTSB had a habit of doing that -- and had his own command post in one of conference rooms. Normally he wasn't dispatched so quickly to a small plane crash, but considering the occupants, someone in Washington had decided to send him up earlier than usual. He had been in the small town since 5 pm the previous evening and was already running out of ideas.  
  
They had already reviewed the flight path and the radar of the plane. It had swung north per the traffic controller's instructions to wait for the clear to come into Houghton from the north. But something had happened shortly after it turned towards Canada. The pilot managed to get out a mayday and one last lat and long before radio communications ended and the plane disappeared without a trace into the great north.  
  
"The great north of what though?" he mutters to himself, staring intently at the map of northern Michigan that included Lake Superior and Canada. They could be anywhere, and there were no reports of a plane down in or near Houghton. Which left the lake, a 31,000 square mile expanse of water and miles of wilderness on the peninsula.  
  
Noise outside the office catches his attention and he walks out to see two new people standing in the control center. One is a shorter black woman who just radiates control and calmness, the other a tall man with short brown hair, his expression somewhere between angry and concerned. Approaching them, he holds out a hand to the woman first.  
  
"Captain Jack Spade. Can I help you folks?"  
  
Both the newcomers give him a strange expression before the woman takes his hand and speaks in a light New York accent.  
  
"Special Agent Vivian Johnson, this is Special Agent Danny Taylor." They take turns showing him their IDs.  
  
Now it's his turn to look confused at the agents. "I'm sorry -- I wasn't aware the FBI was assisting on this case."  
  
"We aren't.exactly, Captain. I'm sure you are aware of the occupants of the plane."  
  
"Of course. Agents Jack Malone and Samantha Spade." As soon as he says her name, he understands the strange expressions from earlier. "Just a coincidence."  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
He tilts his head at them; they hadn't answered his question. "Well, if you aren't 'exactly' assisting on the case, then why is the FBI here?"  
  
Danny finally decides to speak up. "Agents Malone and Spade are in our unit."  
  
"Ohhh, I see. So you flew out here from New York to make sure us hicks in the Midwest weren't dropping the ball?" He is annoyed.  
  
"No, we flew out here because we are worried about our colleagues. And thought if you needed a hand, we could help. We specialize in missing persons; Washington cleared us."  
  
"Obviously," he sighs, all the while thinking, 'well you don't specialize in downed planes'. This is not what he needs, but there is something about these people that makes him want to help them. Maybe it's because under Agent Johnson's cool exterior, he sees the pain.  
  
"Can you tell us what you have?" Vivian asks.  
  
Sighing again, he eyes them warily before filling them in on the past 18 hours.  
  
"Black boxes?" wonders Danny.  
  
"Haven't located them yet."  
  
"Haven't located? Isn't there a beacon--"  
  
"Yes, but the underwater locator beacon hasn't gone off yet."  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"Let me explain...the ULB only goes off when the submergence sensor is set off by water. When it is, an ultrasonic pulse is emitted from the beacon every second for 30 days. It can't be heard, but can be detected by acoustical locating devices."  
  
Danny looks at him with an exasperated expression. "Which means what exactly?"  
  
"One of three things: they landed on ground, they landed in the water and are still floating, or.." he pauses for a moment at the most unpleasant scenario. ".or they are at the bottom of Lake Superior and we just can't hear them."  
  
tbc............. 


	5. Conduit

Title: Chaos Theory, Chapter 5  
  
Author: Stepf  
  
AN: Sorry this is taking so long here kids, the muse took a vacation and RL has been a real pain lately. But on the upside, I finished my other WIP for another fandom, so its all this fic, all the time. Thank you for sticking with me, I really, really appreciate it, you have NO idea.  
  
AN2: Anyone noticing my chapter titles yet?  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 5: Conduit  
  
"Tell me you've got food in that bag." Jack stops suddenly and asks her.  
  
"What? Oh, yeah. Hang on." Rummaging around in the bag, which Jack had only recently given back to her to carry, she pulls out two small packages and tosses them at him.  
  
He looks down, investigating the packaging before looking at her with one eyebrow raised. "Airplane pretzels?"  
  
She shrugs at him. "Would you prefer the airplane peanuts?"  
  
"I hate peanuts."  
  
"I know. They didn't exactly have a four course meal on the plane Jack."  
  
Nodding amicably, he stops and sits on a tree that had fallen over. She quickly follows suit, sitting as close as she can get. When they aren't moving, the biting cold is significantly more noticeable. Jack nibbles on the pretzels in the bag in silence, not wanting to eat too much; who knows how much longer they would be out here. Blinking, he looks out into the vastness of.nothing. If it weren't for the sun and Sam's compass, he'd have no idea which direction he is even facing.  
  
Finished with his pretzels, Jack scoops up a handful of snow, and after inspecting it carefully, eats it. If anything was in their favor in this situation, it was that snow is an excellent substitute for water, even frozen.  
  
If Jack didn't have his sunglasses with him, he would've most certainly had a horrific case of snow blindness by now. But he can't deny the beauty of the land: a blanket of white, with leafless trees and bushes. It's actually very serene, unlike anything he's ever seen. He can hear birds chirping in the distance, but for the most part, it's very quiet. He's surprised they haven't seen any animals yet. Then again, it's the middle of the day; maybe they didn't come out until night. They had seen tracks in the snow from something beside themselves at random intervals, so they knew animals were out there.  
  
Jack is pulled out of his quiet observations by his companion shifting to get a little closer to him. Instinctively, he reaches out and wraps an arm around her shoulder, pulling her smaller body into his; she snuggles into him, resting her head on his chest. Silently, he thanks fate, destiny, whoever, that she survived. Jack hadn't really entertained the thought that she could have died along with everyone else. It's a chilling thought, and he pushes it out of his head; she's right here, curled up tightly against his side. Now he just needs to get them both out of here alive.  
  
"Hey, we should get moving. Any idea where we are?"  
  
She pulls away, but gives him a look like she didn't appreciate being disturbed. "Yeah, I think I do, actually."  
  
He stares at her while she pulls out the map, not at all embarrassed when she looks up and catches him. Reaching out, he pulls off a glove and touches her forehead. "How's that doing?"  
  
"It stings, but I think it'll be ok. How 'bout your arm? You know, lemme look at it."  
  
"Sam, it's fine."  
  
"Jack, just take off your coat for a minute. It was pretty deep -- I want to make sure its not infected."  
  
Sighing, he complies with her request and removes his coat, shocked at the bitterness of the air without that Gortex lining protecting him. Quickly, she unbuttons his shirt and slides it down just far enough to get a peak at the wound.  
  
"Doesn't look too bad. But I think you need stitches," she says, and redresses him, unconsciously ignoring the fact that Jack is perfectly capable of dressing himself.  
  
"Well, I don't think that's an option. You said you know where we are?"  
  
"Yeah, well, as best as I can tell, considering." At his nod, she shows him the map. "Remember when you tripped over the black box?" Again, he nods. "Well, I happened to notice a mountain of sorts to our right. See here, here, and here." She points to three spots on the map. "Those are the only mountains that are named. I figure that at least the big ones would be, and that's a really big mountain. I've been tracking it for 3 hours now, and it just gets bigger as we get closer. I also noticed something on our left, right before you asked for food. It's definitely father away, but I think it's another mountain. If it is, then we are here." Again, she points. "In between Mount Ojibway and Franklin."  
  
"Very impressive detective work, Agent Spade. Let's get to walking again, shall we?"  
  
"OK." She stands, and hugs her coat more tightly against her. "It's getting colder, Jack. You notice that?"  
  
"Yeah, and there are a lot more clouds. Shit, I hope it doesn't snow." Mimicking her, he wraps his arms around himself, shivering.  
  
Houghton County Memorial Airport 5 pm  
  
With everyone in the building doing something, and the federal agents gone to their hotel to check in and settle in, John turns back to the map on his wall. He's missing something and he knows it. Chewing the inside of his cheek, he stares intently at Lake Superior, then Houghton, then the flight path indicated by push pins with red string. Standing, he approaches the map, tapping his foot against the vinyl flooring, the ticking sound the only noise in the room.  
  
Suddenly, his eyes widen. "Oh god." He rushes out of the room to the control tower central area. "Walker!"  
  
"Yes, sir!" The younger man replies, startled by the Captain's sudden, loud appearance.  
  
"Could they have made it to Isle Royale? How much fuel did the plane have?"  
  
"I'm not sure, sir."  
  
"Find out. Call Detroit Metro and get the fueling crews' records. Also, check the tapes and see if the Captain mentioned his fuel range during any communications with tower. Its only a 30 minute ride by seaplane; an eight- seater could have made it in half the time. Especially if they were already halfway there."  
  
Isle Royale National Park Location Unknown 5 pm  
  
"Jack, we need to stop. Pretty soon the sun will be gone. Plus, I'm really tired."  
  
Jack turns and looks at her. She must be pretty exhausted to even ask to stop, since Samantha Spade never admits that she's vulnerable or tired.  
  
"Yeah, ok." He looks around. Since they had gained ground on the mountain, he had noticed more outcroppings and small areas where they could find some amount of shelter. Noticing one not far away, he points and she follows.  
  
It is maybe 6 by 6 foot area under an outcropping from a large boulder. Because of the angle, there is almost no snow under the protruding slate. Without speaking, Jack scoops away snow from a small space and Sam begins collecting wood.  
  
In short order, they have made a small fire and have curled up against each other, wrapped in blankets again. Sam sits in Jack's lap, his legs splayed open to accommodate her small frame. Jack's hands are slowly moving up and down her arms and she presses her back closer to his chest.  
  
"You think we will make it?" she finally asks, voicing both of their fears. During the day, neither had much chance to think to hard about it. They were too busy keeping an eye on each other and what was going on around them. One mistake, one misstep could mean death.  
  
He can't lie to her. "I'm not sure, Sam. I'm really not."  
  
"Me either."  
  
"Marie is probably going insane," he says mindlessly, and regrets the words as he feels her flinch slightly.  
  
"Poor Hannah and Kate. God, I can't even imagine not knowing. Sitting at home, waiting for word about whether you're alive or not." She shutters slightly as she speaks.  
  
He hugs her tighter. "You warm enough?"  
  
"Its just so cold." She shivers slightly. "I can't seem to get warm at all."  
  
"I know, baby, I know. I wish I could do something."  
  
"You are."  
  
"Sam..I'm sorry." He doesn't know why he said it, but he needs to clear the air with her. Their relationship has been tense at best lately.  
  
"I don't think you had control of the plane, Jack."  
  
"No, not about that. I'm sorry it's been so tense between us. That's my fault; I was overcompensating and that wasn't fair to you."  
  
She's silent for a minute. "Jack, we both kinda put up walls after the Mashburn incident. I think to protect ourselves. Maybe we went a bit overboard in avoiding each other, though."  
  
"Yeah, I think we did. It's just so hard to try and go back to.before."  
  
"I know, especially since everyone seems to be staring at us when we are in the same room."  
  
"Look, Sam. I know it's weird, but the more normal we act, the better off we are. If we are tense in a room together, then people will pick up on that and assume the worst."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
"Let's.try not to be so distant. Ok?"  
  
"Yeah. Provided we make it out of here."  
  
"Yeah." He kisses the top of her head, the only real comforting gesture he can provide her.  
  
Houghton County Memorial 11 pm  
  
"Sir, I got a hold of Metro."  
  
John looks up at the young man, along with the other two people in the room. "Go on."  
  
"They were full on takeoff from Metro -- they should have had at least half a tank left when they got to Houghton. They could have made it to Isle Royale easily."  
  
Vivian looks at the Captain. "But why all the way up there?" She and Danny had already been apprised of Spade's idea when they had returned to the command center.  
  
"Because Agent.sorry..Viv.when given a choice to land in 30 degree water or at least attempt the island, you go for the island."  
  
Danny stands and looks intently at the map. "But if they could have made all the way up there, why not turn back here?"  
  
"Maybe they couldn't."  
  
Danny nods at the man's answer.  
  
Suddenly, another younger man comes through the door. "Captain, we have a problem."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You'd better come see," he says, and leads the way to the weather station. "Snow, and a lot of it." The younger man points to a large area of white on the radar screen.  
  
"Damn it. When should that be here?"  
  
"By morning, if not earlier. Wisconsin is reporting 12 inches of snow and below freezing temperatures from the system. If they are on the island, it's heading right for them."  
  
"Shit."  
  
tbc...man it just keeps getting worse, doesn't it? 


	6. Ice

Title: Chaos Theory, Chapter 6

Author: Stepf

AN: I LIVE! But now…do Jack and Sam? That is the question. I must apologize for my….extreme tardiness with this. I had a serious case of the "I couldn't decide what do to", then once I knew, it took a (long) while to write it out and do MORE research.

As my penance, one chapter tonight, and then the final chapter tomorrow for you. So this folks, is the penultimate chapter, please enjoy and I hope it was worth the wait.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 6: Ice

Location Unknown

Time Unknown

She awakens to the feeling of wetness on her face. And bitter cold. Opening her eyes, Samantha finds herself lying on her right side, with Jack pressed tightly against her back, not a millimeter of room separating them. His head is nestled in between her shoulder blades, protecting him from the cold. 

Blinking a few times, she finds snowflakes resting on her lashes, the intricate formations melting as she moves. Finally focusing on the area outside their shelter, Sam swears under her breath. Snow. It's snowing heavily, and it feels to her like the temperature has dropped even more since they had fallen asleep. She can feel the cold all the way to her core; every part of her body, from the muscles to the bone, is frigid. 

She shutters slightly against it and turns over to face Jack, her left leg aching in protest at being moved. This is exactly what she doesn't need -- her leg causing trouble, slowing them down. Sighing, Sam practically digs herself into Jack's larger body, placing her head on his chest, her arms trapped between them. 

She doesn't think her movements have awakened him until a strong hand starts sliding up and down her back slowly and his sleep addled voice whispers in her ear.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, go back to sleep. It's just snowing."

"Mmmm, k," he mutters into her hair and drifts back asleep.

Tilting her head to look up at him, she wonders if what they have can be repaired. Their personal relationship had imploded on itself, leaving behind shards of something neither one of them could recognize anymore. Hearing the howling wind behind her, Sam puts the thoughts out of her head; this is not the time to be debating the current state of her relationship with her boss. 

Shifting slightly, she places her ear against his chest, the soothing sound of his heart beating lulling her into a relatively peaceful, if uncomfortable, sleep.

Location Unknown

8 am

Once again Samantha is awakened by something outside her control. This time, an odd noise rouses her. She had finally gotten warm not so long ago and is displeased to have her comfort intruded upon. Sighing, she opens her eyes fully, only to get a full view of the front of Jack's coat; she hadn't appeared to move an inch since the night before. 

Focusing on pulling away from Jack, she hadn't realized Jack was awake -- until his arms around her tighten, pulling her almost painfully into him. That's when she hears it.

A snort, much like a horse makes. But…louder. Much louder.

She tries to roll over to see the source of the noise, but is stopped by Jack's voice hissing in her ear.

"Don't. Move."

Closing her eyes, she freezes, allowing herself to be pressed into Jack. She can feel her heart beating hard in her chest; Jack's voice had held an ounce of fear, and that scared her more than the noise. 

In the ensuing silence she can also hear Jack's heart, beating as furiously as hers. Still he doesn't speak, just holds onto her what feels like for dear life. She can hear rustling going on behind her, but she isn't sure how close, and she wishes she could see the threat. After an interminable amount of time, he finally releases her slightly and leans his head against hers, his breath tickling the skin at her neck, sending an involuntary shudder through her.

"We've officially had our first run-in with wildlife."

She licks her lips. "Oh God, what was it? Sounded like a horse."

"You're not so far off. I'm pretty sure it was a moose." His voice is still low and, despite loosening his grip, he still holds her close.

"Still close?"

"Yeah, don't move yet."

She nods into his chest and relaxes a little. Unfortunately, when she unclenches her muscles, her leg sends a bolt of pain up her spine, and she can't help but let out a low groan.

"Sam?"

"It's ok. Just muscle cramps." Not exactly a lie, but not exactly the truth either. Sam is sure once they start moving, the stiffness will relieve itself and Jack won't have to worry about her the whole time.

He nods his acceptance at her answer. 

After a while, most of it spent flexing and releasing her calf muscle to release the pain, Jack pulls his arms from her and moves, stretching as he does.

"This ground isn't exactly comfy for sleeping."

She raises one eyebrow at him. "You seemed to be doing just fine last night."

"Yeah, but man, is it hard on the back." 

Standing, he stretches once more, and she watches the satisfied expression cross his face as his muscles start to warm up. Mimicking him, she stands and stretches, cat-like, cautious of her leg. 

Turning, she looks out into the wilderness again and gasps audibly.

"Jack, oh my god."

"I know."

The entire landscape has been covered in a fresh coat of snow -- at least 8 inches of it, if not more. Their tracks from the day before are gone, the fire snuffed out from the weight of the heavy snow. The mountains that had been visible only 10 hours before were now figments of her imagination; she couldn't see them through the blizzard still raining down from the heavens. 

"We're stuck here," he finally says. "Until the snow stops."

"DAMMIT!" she practically screams, frustration finally rearing its ugly head. "Can't we get a break here? I'm not asking for neon signs or a guardian fucking moose to guide us out, but how about not making it more difficult!"

Jack watches in amusement as she screams out into the snow, apparently venting at Mother Nature.

"Sam, I don't think that is actually accomplishing anything."

"It makes me feel better." She sighs loudly and leans against him lightly. 

"Well you may want to conserve your strength. It's still a long walk and the extra snow isn't going to help."

Nodding, she turns to the bag resting against the back of their space and throws him another bag of pretzels. Pulling one out for herself, she gives him a defeated look. "Almost out of food."

"Ok."

Quietly they eat and wait for the snow to ease up. Sam figures it's about another 6 or 7 hour walk to the nearest trail, and another day, if not two, to get to Rock Harbor -- barring another storm front or unforeseen circumstance.

Houghton County Memorial Airport

10 am

"You KNOW where they are, so why aren't you doing anything to find them?" Danny is livid and isn't trying to hide it in the least. 

"Danny, we can't very well send a rescue plane in the middle of what is practically a blizzard. Then we'd have two groups of people to search for." John watches the anger in the man's face subside slightly. He can understand their frustration; it's been two days since their friends' plane went down, and it probably appeared to them that very little was being done to help them. He's seen it a thousand times before: it's not always the act of the rescue, it's the planning before hand, and people waiting for word on their loved ones don't always see the difference. 

The younger man runs his fingers through his hair. "I know, I know. It's just…."

"Frustrating? Infuriating? Anxiety-inducing? I know how hard it is not to be able to do anything besides sit and wait for more information. We can't just search a 16 by 45 mile island randomly, but you have to trust me that we are doing everything we can to find them."

And they were. Before Danny's outburst, John had been planning the search grid with the coast guard for once the weather lifted. A search plan is critical; each plane needs to know where to look to save time and maximize their time in the air. First is finding the crash site if possible, a daunting task considering the terrain. 

"Yeah, I know. Thank you," Danny says, and leaves command in search of Vivian. The pair were assigned the task of asking around if anyone had seen something or knew someone who did. 

Even though every one of John's instincts tells him they are on that island, he can't ignore the possibility that they landed in an uninhabited area where the only people who may have noticed are hunters.

A voice in the room draws his attention away from the map currently spread out on the table. "Captain? The snow is letting up, should be done in the next hour. Coast guard says they can be up as soon as it is. They just need that search grid."

"Excellent, Mitch. Let me know when they are ready and I'll get it to them."

"Aye."

tbc…………………………………


	7. Nothing Important Happened Today

Title: Chaos Theory, Chapter 7/7 COMPLETE

Author: CSIphile/redwing

AN: Its been an extraordinarily long journey and for that I apologize. For anyone still reading this fic, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate your support SO much.

Please see notes at the end why this took so damn long to finish.

AN2: If anyone noticed….all the chapter titles are XF ep titles. I little homage to my first (and still favorite) ship.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 7: Nothing Important Happened Today

Isle Royale

11 am

"It's letting up," she says as she stares into the forest.

"Yeah -- think you're ok to walk?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she snaps back, suddenly defensive.

"I saw you limping a little, Sam, don't try to hide it." He looks at her with a compassionate expression. He hadn't really considered that her leg might not be one hundred percent until he caught her testing it gently earlier. 

"I…it's fine. Not like a have a choice anyway." Her voice is resigned.

"Sam…"

"Let's get going, Jack, I want to get the hell out of here."

He nods slowly; she's right, and it's not like they can sit there waiting for someone. They'd freeze to death first. "Ok, lets go, but take it easy."

She nods and collects the bag, handing it to him as she walks out into the freshly laid snow. the first thing she realizes is it is significantly harder to walk in this snow; she sinks every time she takes a step. Sighing, she points to the south. With any luck they will be on the trail in a couple hours.

Houghton County

Noon

"Ready?"

"Ready," John replies to the pilot as he straps himself into the backseat of the chopper. 

The snow had finally let up enough to get a rescue plane out, and they took the opportunity. As they take off, the other copter follows, carrying the two FBI agents. John had been hesitant to let them come, but in the end, he had given in. They may not be coast guard, but they aren't exactly civilians either. 

A short 20 minutes later, they are approaching the coastline of the island. John's chopper takes off toward Rock Harbor while the other chopper hits the opposite end of the island to start their search patterns. They will meet in the middle.

Isle Royale

12:30 pm

Sam looks up into the bright blue sky. Once the snow had fallen and the system moved through, there were clear skies ahead. The sun was a nice change from the bleak weather that had been around until now. That's when she heard it.

The roar of an engine.

"You hear that?" she asks.

"What?" He obviously hadn't.

"I swear I heard an engine."

"Sam…." He's about to admonish her until he hears it too.

Chopper blades.

"Oh God, I hear it."

"They found us." Relief is evident in her voice.

"Not yet Sam, but they are here. We need to get into a clearing so they can see us."

She nods and they pick up the pace.

After 30 minutes of hard walking, Sam pauses a moment and looks into the clear blue sky; they had lost the sounds of the chopper 10 minutes ago.

"They haven't left yet? Please tell me they are still here."

"There probably running a search pattern and just aren't near us yet. Let's keep heading for that trail; hopefully, we'll find a clearing soon."

She nods and leads the way, her breath coming out in little white puffs against the cold air. A little more than 15 minutes later, they come upon an area that is slightly less shielded by tree tops; it's not great, but they can see a significant area of blue sky. Both of them look up in the hopes of seeing their rescue appear against the sky. The air even feels warmer here, with the sun's rays making it through to heat the air around them. 

Sam is just about to turn back and comment on the warmer temperatures when she unexpectedly loses her footing. 

And falls.

She can hear Jack yell her name right before her body comes to a sudden, and painful, stop against something hard; the jarring sensation goes through her bones. Surprisingly, she stays conscious, but there are bright starbursts in her line of sight. Taking a breath, she cries out when excruciating pain radiates through her chest. 

"Sam! Samantha! Talk to me." She can hear him, but it sounds like he is underwater or very far away.

As her vision clears some, she looks around. She had fallen into what appeared to be a mine. Well, "fallen" might be pushing it -- she had slid down a steep entranceway, coming to a sudden, and painful, stop against some rocks. Looking in the direction she came, she can see Jack through a small hole in the snow she had punched though.

"Ja-" is all she gets out before an agonizing cough cuts off her words. Coughing once more, she is alarmed to feel blood running down her cheek. Terror grips her, full force.

This time, she just tries to sit up, and finds any movement sends pricks of pain through her chest. Breathing through her nose to keep from panicking, Sam tries to determine if she has sustained any other injuries. From her initial assessment it appears not, but she has a sinking feeling there are injuries she can't see. There is increasing pressure on her chest, and breathing is becoming more difficult every time she inhales; plus, she can feel an odd warming sensation through her abdomen. Swallowing hard, she closes her eyes against the raging pain and hopes for mercy.

Jack is on his hands and knees digging in the snow, his fingers quickly going numb from the cold. He is making the hole she had fallen through even bigger, so he can see her. She hasn't responded to her name yet, which sends a wave of alarm through him. She could be unconscious, bleeding, she could be…

"No, Jack. No. Just keep digging," he tells himself, and goes back to the task at hand.

Over Isle Royale

"Ok, Nick, take us to search area D5. They aren't near Rock Harbor."

"Yes, sir."

John looks out his all-glass door as they approach the area. Nothing but trees and more trees and snow. Neither they nor the other copter had seen a sign of them. He is beginning to wonder if his instincts were wrong when a clearing appears ahead of them.

Isle Royale

Siskwit Mines

He almost doesn't hear it. Jack is so focused on the sight of Samantha that he nearly misses the distinct "whoosh" of chopper blades. By the time he looks up, the chopper is maybe 100 yards off the ground and closing fast. The hood on his coat is swishing violently in the air in time with the blades.

They touch down a few seconds later, and cut the engine. Jack couldn't be more relived; he was sure they would die out here, his wife and kids never knowing what happened. Jack takes another glance down the mine: he still can't see her and she'd stopped moaning a while ago. When he turns back, two unfamiliar men are jogging to him, ducking to avoid the still slowing blades.

"Jack?" the older one calls out once silence reigns again.

"Yes…" he says and stands slowly, his lower legs frozen from kneeling in the snow and ice. "You have to help her…"

"We will, Jack -- first let's take a look at you." He nods at the other man who pulls out a first aid kit. "My name is John, by the way. We were very lucky to find you."

"NO, no…she's been down too long."

"Samantha?"

Jack looks at him, surprised. "Yes, Sam. She fell about 15 minutes ago."

"Ok, why don't you stand over there with Nick and I'll see what I can do, ok?"

"Thank you…" he practically whispers, his voice sore from yelling to her and the cold. "You have to help her."

"I'll do my best, Jack."

John looks into the small hole that the woman had fallen through. Digging in his large coat pocket, John pulls out a Maglight and shines it into the darkness. It takes him several passes, but finally he spies a bit of blonde hair in the corner of the beam of light. Moving to the left slightly, he finds her. Lying prone on the hard mine floor, he can see the blood matting her hair from a head wound, but that's not what concerns him. It's the trickle of red flowing down from her mouth that inspires him to jump up and call for the basket. 

They have to get her out, and fast. She's bleeding internally, most likely. 

Nick reacts quickly to the request, however, and is back to John within seconds -- the basket in one hand with the cord hanging behind him, attached to the copter. 

John just gives Nick a glance. "I'm going down, start 'er up."

Nick nods and heads back, starting the motor on the electric pulley system. Again, he returns quickly, the shin-high snow doing very little to impede his progress.

John finally turns to the other man, who looks to be frozen to the core; he is shaking and pulling his coat around him. "Jack, I'll be right back with her, ok?"

"Please. She can't die."

There is a hint of desperation in his voice, covering something John easily puts a finger on: love. He's in love with this girl, probably has been for a good long time too. "Do my best."

He gives Jack what he hopes is a reassuring smile and slowly lowers himself into the hole, flashlight in one hand, his two way radio in the Carhart's pocket. Despite the Maglight, it's pitch black in the shaft. He has a hard time finding purchase on the surface; it's covered in ice and coal eroded to a slick surface. 

John digs his heels in with every step, sending little pebbles of rock and dirt down the hole. After a few minutes, he realizes the pebbles aren't traveling as far when he kicks them down; he has to be close to her. Moving the light from the slope, he searches ahead and sees her. She is in the same position as before, but now he can really see the dark blood congealing in her long blonde hair that is spread out around her head like a halo. Her right arm is bent under her body at an unnatural angle, and the blood he thought he noticed running down her face is more noticeable now, and much redder, fresher. 

Reaching out, the first thing he notices is that she is warm to the touch and her pulse, while slow and somewhat erratic, is not bad, all things considered. Her breathing is labored, but her skin isn't blue -- another good sign.

_If she just started bleeding, we have time,  is_ his only thought as he pulls the two way out of his pocket and tells Nick to send the basket down.

Within minutes, he grabs the edge of the metal basket, which is long enough to fit one person , and lays it as flat as he can on the mine floor. He contemplates the best way to move her before deciding to just pick her up and lift her in. He can't help whatever further damage it might cause; getting her out is better than leaving her to bleed out.

Taking a deep breath, he speaks to her in a low tone.

"Ok Sam, I'm just going to pick you up and move you a bit. It's going to hurt, but you've gotta stick with me -- it'll only be a second." Carefully, he places his strong arms under her body, shifting her just slightly. "Ready, one one. Three…two…one."

On one he lifts her, and a small moan emits from the young woman. "Well that's a good sign, Sam. Keep on moaning."

Easily, he places her small frame into the basket, covers her in the thermal blankets- wrapping her like a newborn - and snapping the harness around her. It's a short trip back up, but he really doesn't want her to slide out.

John double-checks the ties and calls up to Nick. "Let 'er rip, Nicky. She's ready. Nice and slow."

Almost instantly, the basket starts its ascent back up the grade, John following slowly, maneuvering her around protruding rocks and making sure she continues to breathe. Occasionally, he has to stop his feet from slipping and once he felt like he was heading down to where she came from. 

After what seems like an eternity, they make it to the entrance. Nick and Jack are there, pulling her through and setting the basket on the hard snow.

As John pulls himself through, the first thing he sees is Jack hunched over Samantha's prone body, touching her brow lightly, almost reverently. For a moment he pauses and watches them, fascinated by Jack's attention to the woman. 

"Jack…We have to go."

"Yeah, ok." The other man steps away and lets them lift her, taking her to the helicopter.

Jack watches them lift and carry her, then turns his attention back to the hole. He had been so afraid she would die down there, and leave him. At that moment, Jack realizes how much she really does mean to him, more than he was willing to admit before.

John's voice brings him out of his thoughts. "Jack, come on. We gotta go."

Jack quickly follows the men and climbs into the passenger seat of the copter. John is flying and Nick is in the back, doing what he can to keep Sam alive until they get to the hospital.

Through his headset, Jack can hear John communicating with the other helicopter. "Roger 316, we have them, going straight to Keweenaw."

"Roger that, 245, we will TD in Houghton and meet you at Keweenaw."

"Copy."

"How long to Keweenaw?" Jack asks.

"About 25 minutes," John responds and banks the aircraft to the left, heading to the mainland.

"That long?" Jack turns to the backseat and observes Nick starting a fluid line.

"Closest we got that can handle trauma like this. They'll probably stabilize her and then transport again to a bigger facility like Ann Arbor."

Jack says nothing for a moment, staring at her. "How is she?" he finally asks and Nick looks up at him, his face unreadable.

"Stable for now. Her pulse and BP are erratic, but still there."

Jack nods solemnly and looks out the window. It's a beautiful view, clear blue water all the way to the horizon, where he can just make out a white landmass. Houghton.

The men make the rest of the journey in almost complete silence; the only words spoken are when John communicates with the hospital. Jack can't believe they were finally found. He was sure they were going to die out there, their bodies found frozen in the spring, eaten by… Jack stops the train of thought and shudders slightly at the visual. Not that he would've ever admitted any of this to Sam.

Fifteen minutes into the flight, Jack leans his head back on the headrest. He wonders how Marie and the girls are doing. Hopefully someone has called them by now and they aren't panicking. Poor Marie, she must have been ready to plan a funeral. The girls were most likely unaware of exactly what was going on exactly, but they knew their Dad isn't there.

He must have drifted off, 'cause the next thing he knows, John is starting to bring the bird down in a large parking lot. Panicked, Jack looks in the backseat to see Nick's previously stoic face with a ghost of a smile on it. He returns the smile as John shuts off the blades and jumps out, yelling at the crew standing at the hospital entrance.

Swiftly, the group breaks into two, the majority wheeling a stretcher to Samantha and placing the basket on the stretcher. Instantly, they go to work; checking her vitals, the doctor of the group shouting orders as they wheel her through the double doors.

The smaller group, consisting of a nurse and a doctor, approach him and help Jack into a wheelchair -- following the same route Sam had taken, but with less urgency. Through all the attention,  Jack keeps trying to get information about Sam, but to no avail; they won't answer him.

Twenty minutes later, he is in his own room -- fingers and toes covered in protective bandages to keep infection from setting into his slightly frostbitten appendages. There is an IV running antibiotics and fluid into his system. He has a nice spot of frostbite on his left ear, but they are leaving it alone for now, hoping they won't have to remove the skin. He is trying not to scratch at the ear when Viv walks into his room followed by a very tired-looking Danny.

"Hey Jack." Viv's voice is relieved.

"Hey guys." His voice is rough. 

"How are you doing?" she asks, concern written all over her face.

"Not bad, all things considered," he answers slowly. "Have you seen Sam yet?"

Danny offers Viv the chair next to Jack's bed before leaning against the foot and answering. "We just talked to them. They did a CAT scan and she has some internal bleeding. She's in surgery right now; they are going to sew up the hole as best they can, make her stable for transport and  airlift her to University of Michigan for further evaluation. They've already spoken to an internist at U of M."

"Good." He nods. "Has anyone called Marie?"

"Yup, Martin is at your house now."

"Thank you," he practically whispers. "Is she going to be ok?"

"She's shaken up, Jack, but she and the kids will be fine," Danny answers, and Jack sees Viv cringe; she knew what he was talking about.

Viv answers the question again for him. "They think she will be fine, Jack. A cast on her arm for a while and some time to recover and she'll be fine."

He nods silently and for a while no one speaks until Jack breaks the silence. "Can I see her?"

Viv smiles slightly. "I knew you would ask that. Once she is in recovery, the nurse will come get you. They said you were both very lucky, Jack."

"Yeah, I know. Trust me, I know."

"Why don't you get some rest, it will probably be another couple hours until she is out of surgery."

He nods and puts his head back on the pillow. "Thanks, guys," he says and closes his eyes as they exit the room.

Before Jack has a chance to talk to her, or even see her for that matter, Sam is air lifted to Ann Arbor. The doctors had decided that she was stable enough, but needed further attention that the larger hospital could provide and there was no need to wait really. 

So now he stands in his own room, putting on clothes that Danny had provided for him: jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, thick socks and a new jacket. He couldn't bear wearing the other one -- it was covered in his, and some of her, blood from the initial crash. 

Tying up his Timberland boots, Jack hears a knock on the door and instructs the other person to enter.

"You almost ready?" Danny asks. He is similarly attired in jeans and a t-shirt. They are driving down to Ann Arbor today, which is nearly a nearly 8 hour trip; no need to be uncomfortable in a suit. Besides, shortly after they had been rescued, a cold snap had hit the area, dropping temps into the negative 30s with windchill on the mainland. On the island, it would have been much colder. Jack chooses not to think about that too hard.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," he says and grabs his coat, following the younger man out of the room.

Nine Hours Later

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Despite its small appearance on the outside, University of Michigan hospital is enormous -- a fact that now annoys Jack. They had followed a maze of directions and after two wrong turns he, Viv and Danny finally arrived at Samantha's unit. 

Jack lets Viv do the talking; he's afraid anything that would come out of his mouth would involve how they need GPS devices to find places in here. And since they are here outside visiting hours, he doubts that would get them in any faster.

Viv turns to him and merely nods to her right. Apparently, the woman used her persuasive techniques to their advantage. 

Jack slowly follows her down the hall, somewhat lagging behind his coworkers. All he has wanted for the last few days is to see Samantha, but now that he is a few yards from her door, apprehension sets in. Jack is carrying a lot of guilt; even though he knows they made the best of the situation, he can't help wondering if there was something more he could have done. Rationally, he knows that there was nothing he could do -- he couldn't have anticipated an entrance to a mine hidden under 18 inches of snow -- but that doesn't stop another part of him from feeling guilty. 

He walks through the door to find her sitting up in bed, looking pretty good considering the past week. While she is pale and her hair is limp from inattention, her eyes are sparkling and bright, and she is smiling at them.

"Hi guys!" Her enthusiastic tone makes up for the lack of volume --her throat scratchy from the intubation during surgery.

Viv is the first to walk up to her and give her a small hug. "Hey, girl, how are you feeling?"

"Not too bad. Tired, mostly." She smiles. "I'm just happy to not be cold anymore."

"I can imagine," Danny says, and repeats Viv's gesture -- only hanging on a little longer, giving the small woman a hug. "We were all worried about you guys."

"I know…thanks." She gives Danny's hand a squeeze before looking right at Jack. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, fine. A couple bumps and bruises." He approaches her carefully, moving to the spot where Danny had been, but instead of hugging her he places a light kiss on her forehead. "Just glad you're ok."

"Me too." She smiles slightly at him.

Jack just stares at her, taking her in, alive and well. They could have easily lost her down that mine, too easily by his estimation. Danny's voice breaks the silence, and pulls him out of his trance.

"Well they say you can head home in a few days. Viv and I have to fly back tomorrow. Apparently Van Doren would like someone besides just Martin in the office."

Sam laughs slightly. "I think Martin can handle it." She pauses and furrows her brow. "Oh man, what about Jenna -- the girl we came here for?"

Viv answers quickly. "They found her alive and well the day after you should have arrived. Apparently she and her boyfriend decided to take a little vacation to Traverse City, without telling her parents. They figured no one would squeal on them, but I guess they didn't count on the friends parents actually wondering where she was."

"Nice." Sam says and shakes her head.

Just then a nurse comes in and interrupts. "I'm sorry, but everyone has to go now. Ms. Spade needs her rest."

Jack watches quietly as Viv and Danny say their goodbyes, promising to have Martin call when they return. Jack hangs back, wanting to talk to her alone. As the door swings closed, he sits on the edge of the bed, entwining her fingers with his.

"You scared me, you know." He looks down, watching their fingers -- his still covered in bandages.

"I scared me, too," she responds quietly.

"I'm sorry, Sam."

She puts a finger under his chin and tilts it up so he is looking her in the eyes. "Why?"

"You could have died out there, I just…I feel like I should have done something."

"What could you have done, Jack? Nothing, that's what. Doesn't matter -- we are both alive and well and that's what is important here."

He sighs and purses his lips into a thin line. "Yeah, yeah. You're right." He pauses for a bit. "So, are we back to normal now?"

She smiles at him. "Define normal for us, Jack…"

He chuckles. "I don't think I know anymore, Sam. 

"Well, how's this. We go back to what we were before….friends, co-workers."

"Who just happened to have slept together? I don't know if I can do that, Sam. You mean more to me than just a co-worker."

She swallows hard. "You mean a lot to me too, Jack. But if I've learned anything from this, it's that the relationship doesn't matter to me, as long as I have you in my life."

He pauses and considers her words; she is right. The nature of their relationship is really irrelevant -- the point is she is IN his life. "You're right, as usual."

She gives him a small smile. "Good, now go get some rest. Looks like you need it as much as I do."

He nods and stands slowly, before leaning over again and kissing the top of her head. "I'll see you tomorrow." At that he moves to the door, turning back at the sound of her voice.

"Night, Jack."

"Night, Sam," he replies and leaves the room, quietly closing the door behind him and walking toward the elevator. 

They had started their trip to Michigan as near enemies, but they realized that regardless of what had happened between them -- be it fights, sex, or near death, all that really mattered is that they are there for each other. On any level. And that's more than Jack could ever want.

Fin

Ok, here is my pitiful excuse for taking so long….I was debating killing Sam, and someone who shall remain nameless wanted me to do it. So for like 4 weeks I hemmed and hawed, I wrote her death even. But in the end I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill her without there being a warning at the beginning of the fic of a character death. That's just too much of a huge surprise to jump on J/S shippers. I hope you enjoyed the final product. Im pretty pleased with how it came out.


End file.
